Job.com Poll Reveals Jobseeker Reaction to Obama's Job Plan

September 13, 2011

Fredericksburg, VA

Fredericksburg, VA--September 13, 2011--Job.com, one of the fastest growing career portals on the Internet, polled more than 10,000 active and passive jobseekers nationwide about their reaction to President Obama’s Address to Congress regarding his plan to create jobs. Jobseekers were asked to share their opinions about the President’s plans and their thoughts about the best way toward economic recovery.

The majority of jobseekers polled took a stance in favor of incentives, such as tax credits, for businesses to add to their workforce. When asked to identify which of the President’s key proposals had the most potential to improve the job market, more than half (55 percent) of jobseekers polled expressed a preference for the proposal to provide a tax credit to businesses that hire new employees. The proposal for increased public works projects, such as school and road construction, came in second (22 percent) among those polled. This result points toward jobseeker hopes that more companies will resume hiring at an increasingly robust rate than has been seen in the last several months to help ease the unemployment rate.

Although STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) jobs have been touted by pundits as important to regaining America’s competitive edge, the poll results reveal that many jobseekers believe traditional industries will contribute more to rebuilding the sagging economy.

With regards to which type of jobs companies should be adding in order to spur economic growth, the jobseekers polled selected manufacturing jobs (36 percent), followed by construction and infrastructure jobs (32 percent). Conversely, only 13 percent of respondents believe STEM jobs will have the most impact on the job market. Jobseekers expressed an overall desire to see jobs return in industries hit hard by recession-era layoffs and hiring lulls.

"These results are indicative of the diverse group of professionals currently seeking employment opportunities," says Brian Alden, CEO of Job.com. "While jobseekers may not agree on which jobs will create the most growth, it is evident that a tax incentive for businesses is the most popular proposal among those polled to jump start job creation across many industries."

Poll findings also highlighted that many of the respondents, and jobseekers as a whole, believe job creation should be a shared burden among Government and private sectors. Respondents indicated that Small Businesses (23 percent) have the most potential to spur job growth, followed by "All of the Above" (21 percent) which also included the following choices: President Obama (17 percent), a Republican President in the next election (15 percent), Congress (5 percent) and corporations (10 percent).

"It is important to continually measure the jobseeker feedback on the proposals that affect them directly," says Alden. "We are always striving to understand what jobseekers are thinking and looking for to help them better navigate the job market in these changing economic times."

The argument about how to create jobs and improve the economy has resulted in a variety of proposed solutions, many of which are opposite from one another. When choosing which proposals from all sides of the issue had the most potential to stimulate the economy, jobseekers appeared to be split between two opposing ideas: Government deregulation (27 percent) and Infrastructure overhaul (25 percent). Tax cuts were favored by 20 percent of those polled, and Stimulus accounted for 14 percent of the votes. This outcome underscores the assertion that voters and politicians alike seem to be extremely divided on the best methods to drive economic growth.

Regardless of which job initiatives are eventually enacted, Job.com remains committed to providing the latest information on the changing job market and feedback from the jobseekers affected by the changes. Jobseekers can check back often for news and polls related to the job market, as well as tips about how to make the most of the job search in a challenging economy.

The poll undertaken by Job.com on its website had a sampling error of plus or minus one percentage point at a 95 percent confidence level. The opinions expressed in this non-scientific poll reflect those of the jobseekers polled and not necessarily the Job.com staff.

About Job.com

Job.com, headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, is an online full service career portal offering thousands of targeted jobs across its network of over 70 industry and regionally focused career sites. Job.com specializes in helping employers and recruiters hire qualified employees, while providing job seekers with a variety of career and job search enhancing services, products, and resources. With over 31 million registered members, Job.com's candidates represent every state in the U.S. and come from 70 different disciplines ranging from IT to sales to executive management. Whether you are an employer looking for a new hire, or a candidate looking to be hired, Job.com is dedicated to providing a unique experience with unparalleled service.